Hope everyone had a lovely Fall weekend! Blogging today from the shores of Lake Conroe at the La Torretta Resort. On Friday morning, I had to take the dreaded 3-hour long glucose test (pregnancy-related test to check for gestational diabetes), so it was such a welcomed escape to jump in the car for a little staycation escape over the weekend.

1. La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa: Located about an hour north of Houston & 2.5 hours east of Austin, this Lake Conroe resort offers a ton of amenities at a great price. Upon check-in, we received one of their Lake View Suites on the 17th floor — what a splendid view of the waterpark & lake!

Our first evening was enjoyed exploring the resort grounds…they have just about everything you could want in a vacation property. My favorite features are their lazy river, room views, and lakeside location; Ryan is happy with the ESPN in HD, hot tub, and on-site dining options. Our first night, we had dinner at their flagship restaurant, Lakeside Restaurant & Bar…we recommend the Spinach & Artichoke Dip appetizer and housemade cheesecake for dessert. Saturday night was spent at the sushi bar watching the MLB World Series –Go Royals!– over a delish Philly Roll. Finally, we capped off our evening at the lively piano bar for a little live music and people watching.

Part of me wishes we would’ve at least gotten out on the lake/rented a jetski or something, but between packing boxes for our upcoming move & all my pregnancy appointments back home, simply taking it easy and never leaving the resort property was exactly what we needed. You can’t really tell so much from their web site, but the fitness center is huge and we were impressed with the variety of workout rooms & equipment options at our fingertips. A good workout, soaking up a little sunshine, springing for room service, and a nice nap will do wonders for the soul, I tell ya.

2. Organic Muscle Milk: Being pregnant, my husband is always pushing for me to get more protein…he wants that baby to GROW! 🙂 Because their organic line is newly launched, I recently received a complimentary shipment of 2 four-pack cartons, one chocolate and one vanilla. Besides endorsing this drink as a great way for me to get in those grams of muscle-building protein, the hubs loves this stuff too. He gulped down both flavors eagerly, going for them as a breakfast on-the-go, post-workout protein supplement, and ‘just because’ as an afternoon snack…goes without saying, I had trouble keeping them stocked in the refrigerator.

I’m usually a chocolate girl but the vanilla is hands-down my favorite. I had one of those crummy-feeling days a couple weeks ago, full of pregnancy symptoms like headache, nausea, and all-around lack of energy…was contemplating cancelling my afternoon beauty appt. just becuase I didn’t want to leave the bed. After some self-coaching (get up! you can do it!), I peeled myself up and drank a muscle milk during the drive there. –Must’ve been exactly what the doctor ordered, becuase I felt energized after finishing it and the delish vanilla flavor made me feel like I was treating myself to a milkshake!

Being organic is a game changer for me on these drinks, too. I don’t know of many protein shakes that taste as good (especially while containing as much protein) while maintaing that USDA Organic stamp of approval. Plus, they are low fat, low cholesterol and sweetened with organic cane sugar and organic stevia. You can try Muscle Milk Organic Vanilla Protein Shakes at Target.

3. Mustela: I’m 29 weeks along now and among other pregnancy concerns, I’m in full-on stretch mark prevention mode. The baby is estimated to weigh about 3 pounds at this point and is expected to triple in size during the third trimester! Although my preg-o belly has been pretty small-ish so far, I know this bump is primed to really pop in the coming months. My mom says she used olive oil to prevent stretch marks and I think I’ll follow her natural oil-based lead by experimenting with my organic coconut oil from Whole Foods. Mostly, though I’m leaning on a stretch mark prevention cream by Mustela. It’s a little pricey at just under $50, but I got mine with a 20% of coupon at buy buy BABY. This one seems to be the most reputable: successful in clinical trials, legit sounding active ingredients, and Paraben/Phthalate-free. It’s worked so far…not a single stretch mark yet (fingers crossed my skin stays that way!)